


Just a Crush

by QueermoDelToro



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Drabble, First Crush, Gay Will Byers, Gen, Happy, Happy Ending, Introspection, Jonathan Byers is a good big brother, M/M, Missing Scene, No Angst, Secret Crush, Self-Discovery, Unrequited, Unrequited Crush, Will Byers Deserves Happiness, Will Byers Deserves Love, Will Byers deserves normalcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 09:44:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20095252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueermoDelToro/pseuds/QueermoDelToro
Summary: Sometimes Will finds Steve Harrington fascinating.





	Just a Crush

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Stranger Things fic. I'm not even really part of this fandom. Mostly I'm here for the Will/Robin solidarity fics, because hey! But last night as I was reading I had the sudden urge to write about Will discovering that he has a crush on Steve. I obviously adjusted the timeline of S3 a little bit to accomodate this scene, but otherwise I imagine everything happening exactly as they happened in canon.

Will knows he's never really experienced a crush. He's never gotten butterflies or pined hopelessly for anyone's undivided attention. He's never gotten tongue-tied by a beautiful stranger or felt his palms get sweaty by their mere presence. He's never fantasized about his favorite celebrity accidentally stumbling into town and whisking him away to somewhere far, far away. Then again, no one ever tells you how a crush should feel.

Mostly, Will just wants to hang out with his friends and play D&D for 13 hours straight like they used to. Will wants Mike to come over and hang out and talk shit about their favorite movies together, staying up way too late and drinking way too much Coke. Will wants to go to Palace Arcade and watch Lucas play endless hours of Dragon's Lair. He doesn't care if he always loses feeling in his feet or has to hold his pee until his bladder hurts. Will wants Dustin to drag them all to his house and introduce them to some wacky invention that only partially works until the moment it works a little too well. Will feels like he has a right to want some semblance of normalcy back in his life, given the way the last two years have played out.

But sometimes…

Sometimes Will finds Steve Harrington fascinating.

Sometimes Will watches Steve's hair cascade over his forehead and anticipates the moment Steve brings his hand up to brush it back. Will is almost always invested in the way Steve's fingers skillfully card through the tresses and tuck wayward strands back into place. Steve's hair is like a masterpiece that Will is determined to understand. The method, the colors, the angles, all the light and shadows.

Sometimes Will's eyes follow the delicate line of Steve's neck as Steve talks shit to Dustin, studying the ways in which each curve bends or stretches depending on how Steve turns. Steve and Will don't really talk, but that's okay. Will doesn't need Steve to speak to him to know that Steve is kind and dedicated. He says it in the way he greets Dustin and the way he treats Jonathan even after all the crap that went down with him and Nancy.

Sometimes Will is entranced by the way Steve moves behind the counter like every footstep is an intricate dance. Sometimes Will is unable to look away as Steve leans forward to scoop ice cream or reaches to grab a cone, which draws Will's attention from Steve's neck to the length of his arm and finally down to Steve's long, graceful fingers. (Again with the fingers.) 

Will enjoys seeing Steve flirt and flounder with girls at the checkout counter, inevitably sticking his foot in his mouth, and is amused when they shoot Steve down. Will smiles to himself because Steve is so eager and uncool where he used to be collected and blasé. To see Steve Harrington - THE Steve Harrington - get shot down is almost unbelievable. Steve is a hero in Will's eyes. How could they not know what Steve's done to save the town? Most importantly, how could they not know what Steve's done to save Will's friends? Steve deserves a medal of honor, really. Steve deserves a parade.

Sometimes Steve catches Will staring and instead of pulling a face like he thinks Will has lost his mind, Steve winks or shoots finger guns in Will's direction.

Will doesn't know much about masterpieces but he thinks Steve would be a fun person to draw.

"Earth to Will! Earth to Will. Will, come in." Jonathan waves a hand in front of Will's face. "Dude, what are you smiling at?"

"What?" Will turns away and closes his eyes. He'd completely forgotten that Jonathan was even there with him. They rarely hung out anymore, what with Jonathan busy at the newspaper and all, but that's why he'd surprised Will with a trip to Scoops Ahoy. "What? Nothing. I'm not smiling."

Jonathan snorts and wrinkles his nose. "Whatever you say, man. Look, your ice cream is melting."

"Oh!"

Will looks down at his hand.

...Oh.

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of used this as a writing exercise to get my creative juices flowing, so it is unbeta'd and unrevised. I hope you enjoyed regardless!


End file.
